If there’s one special thing about humans, it’s that our creativity is never in short supply. People can take a product and completely take it in a different direction from its original intended purpose. At Grain Wood, we have loved seeing how our customers have used their creativity for our furniture items, highlighting the endless possibilities of accentuating a room with our timeless pieces.
We want to pay homage to the creative ways we’ve seen our customers use decorate our benches, as well as share some of our own creative takes and inspiration for ways to use a bench in your home. At Grain Wood, our benches are made of 100% solid wood, incredibly comfortable, and beautifully chic pieces to furnish your home. For less than $200, you can affordably style different areas of your home all while adding functionality. Read on for some inspiration and creative looks that you can achieve yourself using our easy-to-assemble benches.
In an Entryway/Mudroom
Ever get home and have those shoes you can’t just kick off easily? You hop on one foot, balancing awkwardly as you kick off each shoe at time and all while carrying the groceries. Or sometimes after a rainy day, one misstep in a puddle will have you coming home with muddy shoes, and you can’t walk all the way in the house to take a seat without leaving messy tracks. Parents out there know this struggle with young kids after a rainy day. Mudrooms are increasingly popular and a blessing to have in homes, especially for those with children. But since not everyone is able to have a mudroom, many homeowners have opted to create a welcoming area with a bench near their front doors.
One customer, Elizabeth R., opted to place our Valerie Solid-Wood Bench in Off-White at the bottom of her stairs. Accentuated with pillows, this bench is surely a comfortable spot that you can replicate in your own home for your family, or as a welcome point for your guests.
Low on space? Maximize it by placing a shoe organizer underneath. Our benches stand at a height of 18 in. (~20 cm) off the ground, giving you just enough space to cozily hideaway those muddy rain boots.
As a Breakfast Nook
It seems like kitchens these days never have enough space for everything you need – food storage, countertop space, dining area. Casual dining spots such as breakfast nooks typically take up smaller space than your typical dining table. Often, breakfast nooks are created using a corner space or somewhere else off to the side. Unused space like the underneath the hanging part of a countertop, can be put to use by placing seating. You may have seen this idea like stools at a breakfast bar, but rather than purchasing individual stools, consider placing a bench underneath instead.
Because breakfast nooks are supposed to take little space yet be conveniently accessed, having a bench as your seating helps greatly. Here we see a customer, Karen R., who purchased our Valerie Original Dining Table and Bench in Off-White. You can see she already has a dining table, but wanted to create an additional sitting space. This piece beautifully extends her kitchen countertop space, with the ease of pushing the bench underneath when not in use.
At the foot of a Bed
Bedrooms are a place where clutter can manifest just as quickly as you tidy up. A bench at the end of the bed can help ease this trouble for several reasons. A bench in front of your bed can be extra storage to hold those spare pillows and blankets at arm’s reach for those chilly nights. It can be a place to sit while getting dressed, convenient seating in front of your dresser mirror, or just another point of décor to tie your room together. If you already store items under your bed, the underneath of the bench can be another point of storage as well.
Consider pairing our Montauk Solid Wood Bench in Driftwood:
Adding a Touch of Style
Benches can be a nice way to hold extra décor in any room. Or they are a nice way to display your possessions without having to drill extra shelves into a wall – no need to pull out the stud detector. The biggest key here is to keep it minimalist however, especially if you’re in a home with a handsy toddler. That way if you every find yourself in need of extra seating perhaps while hosting, you can quickly and easily clear it off while freeing up space.
Add some greenery to tie a room together, like a bench with a few small plants. Take our customer, Linda S., who opted to use our Valerie Solid-Wood Bench in Off-White as a beautiful spot to hold her plants up to the window. The intricate details of the Valerie Bench’s legs will show off your favorite potted plants.
As a side table or coffee table
Do you live in a smaller and/or shared space? Living in a smaller place is often a balancing act between style and mobility. Many are forced to get creative with the way they furnish their spaces, like through lofted beds or floating shelves. Sometimes you need to find furniture with very specific dimensions, especially when the living room is dominated by bulky furniture items like a sectional or TV stand. Using a bench as a coffee table can serve the purpose of fully furnishing your living room, with a sturdy and thinner shape that leaves you with extra legroom. Our Montauk Solid Wood Bench in Walnut is a beautiful option for any living room. Its rustic staining is sure to match with any living room furniture, and still a perfect place to kick up your legs. If you have a little more room, consider nestling it to the side of your couch as a side table.
Have you ever found a creative way to use a bench, or any other piece of furniture? We’d love to see your creations! You can post reviews on our website or tag us on any social media platform @grainwoodfurniture.